UK Dietary Guidelines - Heart

For the best UK healthy-heart dietary guidelines,
we draw your attention to the diet and nutrition advice offered by the
leading heart authority in the UK - the British Heart Foundation.

Summary of Dietary Guidelines - British
Heart Foundation

1. Your Diet Affects Your Heart

Following a healthy diet can substantially
reduce the risk of developing heart disease, and can also increase the
chances of survival after a heart attack.

2. Dietary Guidelines - Fruit and Vegetables

Eating at least five portions of fruit
and vegetables a day will reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, probably
by helping to prevent atheroma from building up within the inside walls
of the coronary arteries.

3. Dietary Guidelines - Fats

Reducing the total amount of fat you eat
will reduce the amount of fats in your blood.

Replacing some saturated fats with polyunsaturated
fats and monounsaturated fats will help to improve the ratio of 'protective'
cholesterol to 'harmful' cholesterol in your blood.

4. Dietary Guidelines - Oily Fish

Eating oily fish regularly can help to
reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and also to improve the chances
of survival after a heart attack. We do not know exactly how it helps.
It may be by helping to keep the heartbeat regular, reducing the level
of triglycerides (fatty substances found in the blood), and preventing
blood clots from forming in the coronary arteries.

5. Weight Guidelines - A Healthy Weight

If you are overweight, reducing your weight
will reduce the workload of your heart and help keep your blood pressure
down.

6. Dietary Guidelines - Salt

Reducing the amount of salt you eat will
also help keep your blood pressure down.

7. Dietary Guidelines - Alcohol

Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle,
increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. However, moderate
drinking (between 1 and 2 units of alcohol a day) can help protect the
heart in men aged over 40 and women who have gone through the menopause.

Find out more about the effects of diet
and heart disease with the British Heart Foundation, at www.bhf.org.uk.

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Dietary Guidelines - Heart

Diet Rich in Fruit and Vegetables

There is good evidence that eating a diet
that is rich in a range of vegetables and fruits lowers the risk of heart
disease. It is not known exactly why fruit and vegetables have this good
effect. It seems to be due to the antioxidants (vitamins and other substances)
in the fruit and vegetables. Antioxidants prevent 'oxidation' - the chemical
process which allows cholesterol to form atheroma within the coronary
artery walls. However, there is no evidence that taking vitamin tablets
has the same effect.

Fruit and vegetables are also rich in potassium,
a mineral which may help to control blood pressure and prevent irregular
heart rhythms. Fruit and green vegetables are also rich in folic acid.
This reduces the blood level of a substance called homocysteine, which
itself may be a risk factor for heart disease. However, more research
is needed to find out whether eating more folic acid will, by itself,
reduce heart disease.

Dietary Recommendations

Aim to eat at least five portions of
fruit and vegetables a day. On average, people in the UK eat only three
portions a day. Five portions may sound a lot, but in some countries
people eat an average of eight or nine portions a day.

Try to eat a wide variety of fruit and
vegetables. They can be fresh, frozen or tinned. Fruit juice counts,
but only for one portion a day. Potatoes are a good source of starch
but do not count in the 'five a day' advice.

Diet of Reduced Fats and Cholesterol

Eat Less fats to Reduce Your Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance which
is mainly made in the body. The liver makes it from the saturated fats
in food. The cholesterol enters the blood and is carried around by proteins.
These combinations of cholesterol and proteins are called 'lipoproteins'.
There are two main types of lipoproteins - low density lipoprotein (LDL)
and high density lipoprotein (HDL). There is also a group of fatty substances
in the blood called 'triglycerides'.

Atheroma develops when LDL cholesterol
undergoes a chemical process called 'oxidation' and is taken up by cells
in the coronary artery walls where the narrowing process begins. On the
other hand, HDL cholesterol removes cholesterol from the circulation,
and appears to protect against coronary heart disease. So the ratio of
HDL to LDL is important. The goal is to have a low level of LDL and a
high level of HDL.

Eating a healthy diet can help to reduce
your cholesterol level and improve your ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol.
It is possible to reduce the level of cholesterol in your blood by between
5% and 10% just by eating healthily. On average, reducing cholesterol
by 1% can lower the risk of coronary heart disease by 2%.

Cholesterol is not found in large amounts
in many foods, except in eggs and in offal such as liver and kidneys.
The cholesterol in these foods does not usually make a great contribution
to your blood cholesterol level, but it is probably wise to limit eggs
to about three a week. If you need to reduce your cholesterol level, it
is much more important to reduce the total amount of fat you eat, and
to change the types of fat you eat.

Eating a high fibre diet may also help
to reduce the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed from your intestine
into the bloodstream.

Reduce the total amount of fat you eat
and eat starchy foods instead (bread, pasta, rice, cereals and potatoes).

Cut right down on saturated fats and
substitute them with small amounts of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated
fats.

Eating oily fish regularly can help
to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and to improve the chances
of survival after a heart attack.

The particular oil in fish that has
these good effects is known as 'omega-3'. It is found mainly in oily
fish such as herring, kippers, mackerel, pilchards, sardines, salmon,
fresh tuna, trout and anchovies. Try to eat oily fish about twice a
week.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

By keeping close to a healthier weight
for your height, you will keep your blood pressure down and reduce the
workload of your heart. Remember that losing weight involves both eating
healthily and increasing physical activity.

There are several different ways of working
out if you are overweight. One way to get a rough idea is just by measuring
your waist. Measure your waist, around the fattest part.

Your doctor or a dietitian may take your
height and weight measurements to work out whether you are overweight
or obese. He or she may also use these measurements to work out your body
mass index (BMI), which combines height and weight into a single figure.

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Reduce Intake of Salt (Sodium)

There is a link between high salt intake
and high blood pressure.

People who have a lot of salt in their
diet seem to be more likely to have high blood pressure. It is not yet
known exactly why this happens.

It is the sodium in the salt that contributes
to high blood pressure. Most people eat many times the amount of salt
we need. The recommended maximum is 6 grams a day, but the body only really
needs 1 gram. (One gram of salt is about one-fifth of a teaspoonful).

Dietary Recommendation - Salt (Sodium)

To cut down on salt, first try not adding
salt to your food at the table.

Later on, try cooking without adding
any salt. (You can add herbs and spices to add flavour instead).

You may also want to check the ingredients
labels on foods, to find out how much sodium they contain.

You will find that within a month your
palate will have adjusted and you won't like salty foods! You will get
all the salt you need from the 'hidden salt' in processed foods and
bread.

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Alcohol in Diet

Moderate drinking is between 1 and 2 units
of alcohol a day.

Moderate drinking - between 1 and 2 units
of alcohol a day - has a protective effect on the heart in men aged over
40 and in women who have gone through the menopause. One unit of alcohol
equals half a pint of ordinary beer or a small glass of wine or a pub
measure of spirits.

However, heavier drinking can contribute
to heart disorders, including high blood pressure and stroke.

For every unit over the limits shown above,
systolic blood pressure is likely to be raised by 1mmHg.